A POSTMAN on his way to work was beaten up by a vicious gang of thugs who looted his car and tried to drop a heavy plantpot on his head.

And Mark Love, 50, says he is furious that North Wales Police threatened to impound his car and charge him £105 to move the vehicle just a couple of hundred yards to his home, despite him being a victim of assault.

Dad-of-three Mark, who has worked for the Post Office for 20 years, was driving to work on Nant-y-Glyn Road in Colwyn Bay, only seconds from home, when a young man blocked the road just after 5.30am on Saturday.

The thug refused to budge, then approached his car door. Mark was then set upon by a gang of eight young thugs waiting nearby who punched and kicked him, giving him a fractured nose, black eye and severe bruising to his right leg. He is now using crutches and is on painkillers after being treated at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.

Mark, who is 6ft 3in tall and a former physical training instructor with the 9th Parachute Regiment Squadron of the Royal Engineers, is also a former Army rugby player and boxer and has trained in judo. He believes such an attack on a smaller man than himself may have resulted in far more serious injuries.

“There were eight of them surrounding the car. They just said they were some kind of posse and then started punching me,” he said.

“If I’d been someone of a lesser build and not able to defend myself it could have been a different story. A smaller person would have gone down on the floor and possibly been kicked in the head and perhaps killed.

“People ask if I got any punches in but there were so many of them. It was like when people throw water in your face, you just put your hands in front of your face to protect yourself.”

Mark, of Woodfield Avenue, eventually managed to break free and struggle towards the nearby Shell garage on Abergele Road where a member of staff called the police and ambulance.

But five of the gang had chased him towards The Park pub where a gang member stood on a wall and attempted to throw a pot containing a conifer over his head.

“They were shouting ‘smash it on his head’ but he missed. It could have killed me,” he said.

“I managed to break free but could only see out of one eye and was disorientated. When I got to the garage I could see my reflection and blood running down my face.”

And Mark is furious with North Wales Police who threatened to impound his car unless he paid for it to be taken just yards to his home. The thugs had looted the vehicle and took his only car key.

Mark says he was told by officers that unless he coughed up £105 to move the car it would be towed away and he would be charged £12 for every day it remained in storage.

“It was just rubbing salt in the wounds,” said Mark.

A spokeswoman for North Wales Police said: “The victim has been billed but the police will be reimbursing him.”

North Wales Police are still investigating the assault, and after arresting and questioning one person, released them on bail pending further enquiries.